quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: I put up with LOST, for far fewer benefits for two whole seasons. Despite the slowdown, I think I owe them at least a full second season. LOST only gave people two or three revelations per season, at least Heroes is coming closer to one every other episode or so.
But in contrast to the first season of Heroes, which was good, the first season of Lost was brilliant. So at least it had more goodwill (from me at least) going into the second season. Which, granted, it squandered since the second season was dreadful, but the point remains. And when Lost is bad, it's still more competent than Heroes, and less cheesy, and better acted.
Posts: 326 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Heroes, for me, is equal parts frustration and enjoyment. They seem to have built themselves a list of all the comic book cliche plotlines they could think up and are going down the list and checking them off. Throughout season one, I was hoping that it would grow to the point where they would start twisting these (now heavily) cliched plots back upon themselves. Have some fun with it, ala "Watchmen". My favorite episode from season 1 was "Company Man" -- more of that kind of character development, please.
I know, "Watchmen" is too much to ask of a television show. This season isn't too bad, though it is faltering. Most 2nd seasons on TV tend to be poor in comparison to the 1st season, so I was expecting the downturn.
Having Kirsten Bell is going to be a boon, I think. I hope that she can do something with what she's given. If the show were written as cleverly as "Veronica Mars", then we'd really be seeing something. As it is, the production team seems to be very focused on their checklist.
Also: I've been thinking that the reason for Sylar's disappearing powers is a bit mundane: his body is spending all its energy healing that massive sword wound and doesn't have any leftover for his abilities.
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Being a former comic book collector, it pains me to say that I am finding this season to be pretty annoying. First, there are too many unexplained coincidences. For example, the twins just happen to stumble upon Sylar in the middle of nowhere. They (along with the American) pick him up, no questions asked. He tells them he has read their book and has met Dr. Suresh and they don't question him at all.
Also, too many stupid things like Parkman and Mohinder pushing Molly to discover where Parkman's dad is despite the obvious risk to her fragile psyche. They then act surprised when she goes into shock.
HRG has somehow become an oblivious moron.
Having said all that, I will keep watching with the hope that the writers eventually explain some of that.
Posts: 80 | Registered: Nov 2003
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I was under the (perhaps mistaken) impression that the picture of dead Noah Bennet had in the background a cheerleader kissing a boy, thereby prompting Noah's seeminly nonsensical fixation on "no boys" for Claire.
Maybe I was imagining the background of the painting. Any corroborators for me?
Posts: 1099 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Claire was definately making out with a boy behind the body of Noah. But I didn't connect that with his insistance that Claire not date. It makes sense though.
JoeH: Not that I am trying to be racist but I would imagine that poor inexperienced South American young adults could easily be more trusting of a kind, interested, American who just happens to know who you believe to be your savior.
Heck I take it back, if it was two American fleeing to South American to find a doctor there and some bi-lingual South American who they came across said, "I know exactly who that is, I'll take you to him," that the Americans who are desperate for their goal would easily take him along.
The brother does seem alittle skeptical but not overtly so, I find their trusting natures both to be well within the realms of plausibility.
So any fortune tellers around capable of explaining why Noah and the Haitian have to go to the Ukraine?
Also how cool is is that the little girl is in a coma but she can still talk to Matt in her mind? I really hope they are forced to take her body with them while they go to this address. The difficulty of concealing a body while simultaneously having Matt use his mind to listen and try to counsel her WHILE they look for his apparently evil dad could make for a very engaging plot.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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LOST's first season got us by I think partially with its newness. We hadn't seen anything like it in recent memory, so we were all a bit blown away. But as time dragged on, and questions loomed without answers, and the further they got into The Others, the more insanely ridiculous it became, especially when realization came that they never provided good enough answers to the questions they'd created. One hatch being opened per season isn't good enough.
Heroes on the other hand followed in their footsteps. Something in that vein of fiction we'd seen before, so it didn't get the 'new' bonus that LOST got. But we liked the characters, mostly, we liked the mystery, and almost every episode we got SOMETHING to advance the plot, there weren't long, long, long, loooooooong periods of BLAH like in LOST. That was more than enough to draw me in.
Four episodes into this season, people seem mostly stuck in places without much reveal, but it's only four episodes. This last episode had some good movement, and previews of next week look very promising. If people REALLY don't like the show, I won't try to get them to stay and watch it, what'd be the point? But wow, I wonder if people were this acutely harsh on an episode to episode basis on tv shows 10 years ago.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I'm enjoying it. It's clear that they're setting up a lot of dominoes. This is a complex show, with a lot of characters and a lot of backstory. It requires a lot of setup.
If I thought it was going to continue like this all season, I'd be irked. But I don't think that. I think it's going to be a lot of fun to watch the dominoes fall. And I'm enjoying watching them build characterizations.
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I'm in the middle of watching the episode online. So is Micah's cousin's power that if she sees something the she can do it?
Posts: 2705 | Registered: Sep 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Lisa: I'm enjoying it. It's clear that they're setting up a lot of dominoes. This is a complex show, with a lot of characters and a lot of backstory. It requires a lot of setup.
If I thought it was going to continue like this all season, I'd be irked. But I don't think that. I think it's going to be a lot of fun to watch the dominoes fall. And I'm enjoying watching them build characterizations.
Agreed. That's how I feel.
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Indeed, I don't see why so many people are complaining. It seems to be going faster than it was last season, yet they enjoyed that just fine. I assume that it will be like this every season, tons of set up then everything comes together with lots of revelations, though they seem to be doing the revelations a tad early.
Posts: 2705 | Registered: Sep 2006
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I recall that there was a wiki post with all kinds of spoilers for this season, but now I can't find it. Do you think they took it off? If anyone knows what I'm talking about, can you post the link?
Posts: 99 | Registered: Aug 2007
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Last season was great because we didn't know how anything worked yet. We were discovering the world along with the heroes. But then we figured stuff out and watched the pieces connect together and everything lead to one glorious moment.
Now we're back to discovering secrets with people. But we already get it, so we want to hurry it along. I don't think it was a good idea to go back to basically the same formula they used last season. I'm just hoping the old characters get the plot moving soon and the new characters can keep up.
There were a couple of great moments this episode with Mrs. Petrelli and Parkman that bode well, and I love the motivation for Micah's cousin. The girl. The boy needs to be killed off soon cause he's easily the most annoying character they've had.
Posts: 2283 | Registered: Dec 2003
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quote:Originally posted by landybraine: I recall that there was a wiki post with all kinds of spoilers for this season, but now I can't find it. Do you think they took it off? If anyone knows what I'm talking about, can you post the link?
Heroeswiki has all the spoilers compiled.
Posts: 2705 | Registered: Sep 2006
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quote:Originally posted by JonHecht: I'm in the middle of watching the episode online. So is Micah's cousin's power that if she sees something the she can do it?
That's the impression I got.
Posts: 2867 | Registered: May 2005
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quote:Originally posted by JonHecht: I'm in the middle of watching the episode online. So is Micah's cousin's power that if she sees something the she can do it?
That's the impression I got.
It could be localized to television.
1: Both incidents, the tomato rose and the kick were both seen on TV.
2: If she could do ANYTHING she ever sees I think that would be a bit of an overwhelming power as she would be CONSTANTLY learning how to do knew things. It being localized to TV actually sounds very interesting.
What TV shows would you watch if you knew that was your ability? I'd probably catch a Man Vs Wild marathon or survivorman, I'd then watch a ton of Ultimate Fighter Championship, How It's Made on National Geographic Channel, and then maybe some sessions of those boring math lectures they broadcast on local channels. Maybe some of those art shows too.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Eh, most math lectures that are on local TV here are just 8th grade math... besides, I think it is only physical actions. Personally I'd watch everything on fast forward, since all you have to do is see it and not pay close attention that should work.
Posts: 2705 | Registered: Sep 2006
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With each episode I find myself enjoying less and less of the show as a whole. There are characters that I absolutely LOVE (Hiro & Ando, Noah & Claire) but there are so many that I just haven't connected with or just downright loathe. I feel like a sucker sitting through all these side stories to see a few minutes of characters I actually care about.
Worse is when they do bad things to characters I like. Splitting up Hiro and Ando is ruining both characters for me. Noah being Mr. Cautious instead of Mr. Mysterious is boring. And then there's Claire who is just...stupid. I like her as a strong loner trying to find her way. Not falling into a cliched romance which seems like such an obvious trap.
Last season it was okay sitting through Nikki's storyline because it meant I could see more of Hiro and Ando's adventures.
But this season I'm not getting anything I want and I'm holding onto to the hope that it finds its way again.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade: What TV shows would you watch if you knew that was your ability? ...
Old Jackie Chan or Jet Li Hong Kong movies for a start
Gymnastics competitions and something about professional stuntment might not be a bad idea either.
I wonder if she can only do it for one tv at a time. Maybe she should just get a setup like the one from Back to the Future 2 with all the different screens running simultaneously.
Posts: 2437 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Not falling into a cliched romance which seems like such an obvious trap.
I think I would personally find the show more unbelievable if she didn't find herself with a love interest. She's not a loner by choice. At her old school she wasn't a loner at all. Finally finding someone her own age, who is also automatically outcast just like she is, who has also apparently run afoul of her father, I find it 100% believable that she'd fall for him, to say nothing of the fact that flying her around Hollywood is probably pretty romantic.
I don't know what's specifically cliched about this romance, unless you just mean two misfits who find each other and fall for each other, but hey, what's unbelievable about that? It's a common thread in literature and movies for a reason: it's extremely believable.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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"Cliches are cliches because they work" alternatively "Cliches are cliches because they are true"
Posts: 2705 | Registered: Sep 2006
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quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade: What TV shows would you watch if you knew that was your ability? ...
Musical performances of every sort. Competitive belching. Shows where people design and make clothing, furniture, houses. Cooking shows. Televised surgery shows. The Olympics.
I think that is the absolute coolest power yet, really, and I found the character very likable.
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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yeah, i think it has to be something people can really do on TV. I would watch every sport at the olympics, the food network, that famous painter guy with the fro, instructional language videos...
OK, i think i would watch just about anything i could. i wonder if theres a limit to how much she can learn.
Posts: 813 | Registered: Nov 1999
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quote:Originally posted by krynn: yeah, i think it has to be something people can really do on TV. I would watch every sport at the olympics, the food network, that famous painter guy with the fro, instructional language videos...
OK, i think i would watch just about anything i could. i wonder if theres a limit to how much she can learn.
I was just about to bring this point up, that it probably has to be unedited and/or real. You beat me to it.
Posts: 1099 | Registered: Apr 2005
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All right, I'm late to the party, but here goes:
I really enjoyed Monday's episode. For one thing, I think it was nice that they focused on only a few sub plots. (Micah, Matt, Claire, twins) For another, they brought a few of them together. (Syler and the twins) The twins finally started getting interesting when they ran into Syler. Claire's plot was less interesting than it has been in the past, actually, but I thought it was the worst of the episode. I'm really into Matt and his investigation.
The ending was an OMG moment. I am very eagerly waiting to see what happens to poor Molly.
Heroes definitely is at least as much exasperation as entertainment, but my husband and I were talking about both sides last night and agreed that it's the best show on television at the moment. So for good or bad, we're sticking with it, at least for now.
On the subject of LOST: I enjoyed the second season, but that may be because I watched them commercial free and back to back on DVD. I can kind of see how it would have dragged as a weekly show, but I don't think it's any slower than Heroes in general. I'm catching up on season 3 and it's been wonderful, especially after about 10 episodes or so.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
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The thing is that for that move, though the girl may have learned the move, her body doesn't have the muscle. It seems like she'd easily hurt herself very badly, no?
Posts: 3060 | Registered: Nov 2003
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quote:Originally posted by krynn: yeah, i think it has to be something people can really do on TV. I would watch every sport at the olympics, the food network, that famous painter guy with the fro, instructional language videos...
OK, i think i would watch just about anything i could. i wonder if theres a limit to how much she can learn.
The "happy tree" guy?
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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quote:Originally posted by BandoCommando: I was just about to bring this point up, that it probably has to be unedited and/or real. You beat me to it.
Thats kind of why I picked Jackie Chan and Jet Li versus something more conventional like The Matrix. Particularly the older stuff has a very high ratio of "real work" relative to wire or CGI, which is part of why the out-takes and behind-the-scenes reports are so interesting and scary at the same time.
Posts: 7593 | Registered: Sep 2006
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Anyone think that Molly is somehow trapped in her own body, not merely in shock? I imagine if she were actually unconscious, she wouldn't yell for Matt. Anyhow, creepy!
I got the impression that HRG was so obsessed with Claire dating was the fact that she was kissing a boy in the painting. I get the impression that he's trying to prevent his own death, or at least put it off. I think he really ought to explain to her why he cares so much about her not dating. I also find it puzzling that she would be making out with someone near his dead body. Has she just not spotted him yet? Oh, and the moment where she's kissing West while flying just seemed cheesy.
The burned guy in the mirror this time around looked a lot more like Nathan than Peter.
Sylar calling himself Gabriel is interesting. It looked for a moment that they might be setting him up for some sort of redemption, but then they went and had him kill that guy. Oh well. Anyone else notice the cockroach?
If Monica sees one of the other heroes caught on TV, will she get his or her powers?
If the invisible man were hanging around Matt, would Matt be able to hear his thoughts?
Speaking of the invisible man, he could take a cue from Nathan and get rid of that beard if he does come back.
Matt's dad being an evil hero is an interesting twist. I saw it coming that he was Molly's nightmare man, but only once Matt noticed his dad in the picture. I think Matt was kind of a jerk asking her to do this, but it seems that he was being an adult writing off a child's fears as irrational. Too bad they weren't.
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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I think the twins are awful interesting in terms of powers. I mean, in a country that enjoys telenovelas, you have a woman whose power means that black goo runs from her eyes when she's upset.
How is that not utterly and totally fantastic?
Posts: 1735 | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Shigosei: The burned guy in the mirror this time around looked a lot more like Nathan than Peter.
Yeah, I'm starting to like the aforementioned theory that Nathan may have somehow absorbed a bit of Nikki's power and that the "dark" side of him is starting to take revenge on the Company for the (as far as he knows) the death of Peter without Nathan knowing about it.
Posts: 7593 | Registered: Sep 2006
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quote:The burned guy in the mirror this time around looked a lot more like Nathan than Peter.
There wasn't any question the first time around. It's sort of interesting how frustrated I can get with folks who don't have as good of facial recognition ability.
Last season, I got all worked up over everyone doubting that the girl with the dark hair in the preview was Claire. This season it was Nathan in the mirror.
Something so obvious to me should be obvious to everyone, right?
quote:Something so obvious to me should be obvious to everyone, right?
I think you've figured out your super power. Photographic Identification Reflex. Localized to television.
Posts: 1256 | Registered: May 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Shigosei: Anyone think that Molly is somehow trapped in her own body, not merely in shock? I imagine if she were actually unconscious, she wouldn't yell for Matt. Anyhow, creepy!
I kind of got the impression that he had "captured" her persona or whatever (aiua in Enderverse terms), and that's why her body is now nonresponsive. I could just be heavily influenced by Card, though.
That was my reaction to tonight's episode. Very, very cool.
Kristen Bell is friggin scary. I was getting tired of evil looking and acting so sinister. I think the fact that she looks like sugar and spice but acts like a casual demon is much more compelling for a potential bad guy. And we have a new mystery now. Is she with the Company? Who is her father? And now that we know the leader of the Company is on Darth Hoodie's hit list, I think it's confirmed there's a third party involved. Unless the reason Mr. Parkman had the picture of Midas (I don't know the name of the guy who can turn spoons into gold that recruited Mohinder, but I'm calling him Midas, (you know, the Midas Touch)) is because he's MAKING the pictures and hadn't delivered that one yet. What if he made Nakamura jump off the ledge thinking someone was there, or he attacked Mrs. Petrelli in the jail cell by making her attack herself? Longshot, but it could be. But I still think there's a third party involved, maybe Kristen Bell.
Not much on Hiro and Ando, but I like that they at least kept us updated. Micah and his cousin were cool, and I could seriously see her going vigilante to try and clean up the neighborhood. But I really think this was a great episode that moved two major storylines forward. I think they are totally back in their element, and next week looks great.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I dont know about Kristen Bell. Veronica Mars is one of my favorites, but I think she felt out of place here. And when she was on the phone with her "daddy", she seemed much more immature than her physical appearance should allow.
Posts: 332 | Registered: Apr 2005
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This episode was a lot better. No more of the twins. The dad sequence was cool, but I'm seriously wondering what connection the Hiro story has to all this. And what about the coakroachs? Hmmm.
Posts: 3060 | Registered: Nov 2003
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Kristen Bell was alittle too juvenile to be given a task like finding Peter. Any guesses on what she was going to do to Peter when she found him? She came across as too whiny to me, I wouldn't trust her to go to the mall and buy me a shirt for fear she'd get sidetracked and spend $2000 at The Body Shop.
Looks like Micah's cousin can repeat anything she sees, and I'm not sure I like that ability with so little restraint. Does she permanently remember everything she sees?
Can I just say that Peter's drawing was a little lack luster? OOOOHHHH two men standing in the doorway of some unknown building, WOW!
Tiffany told me to shut up as I started yelling, "NO STOP DON'T DO THAT! DON'T LET HIM GO THERE!" from the moment they uncuffed Parkman's dad and he started walking for the back of the apartment. I can't believe a trained cop would have allowed that. The only reason I can stomach that was that it was Parkman's dad and I am sure Parkman was distracted and alittle loopy after the feedback burst his father sent back at him.
Can tasers knock you out? I was under the impression they typically immobilize you for a few seconds to a few minutes. Perhaps the taser was modified with a bit more juice?
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